A King's Reign of Love
by InfernoAlive
Summary: Set after Cress, King Kai struggles with his feelings towards something that should be his natural enemy. He loves Cinder, and she loves him, but can they cope with each other's affections while a full-on war is in full swing? Will bloodshed and screams of justice pull them apart? Forever?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I appreciate the reviews I got for 'Scars of a Suffering Nature': Wolf and Scarlet. (If you haven't checked that out already, please do!) Feel free to criticise, it lets me know what you think of it and how to improve!**

**Shout outs to:**

**Aurum19 : I love Wolf and Scarlet as well! I just think they're so cute together!**

**Guest2: I hope you enjoy this!**

**Love It: Thanks for the feedback! I admit, Wolf's response to Scarlet was a bit uncharacteristic, but I thought they both needed to let off a bit of steam! **

**Since I enjoyed this so much I decided to do another Lunar Chronicles ship! I give you… Kaider!**

A King's Reign of Love

KPOV

Cyborgs. Thoughtless robot servants, roaming the streets of this world, taking over. Androids. Not that much different, really. That was the view of the kingdom of New Beijing. They repelled anything different, thought the creatures were all the same and should be treated with caution. I didn't think as harshly as all that, but the thought of something that wasn't quite human sent a shiver down my spine. Cyborgs… dangerous, unpredictable beings in the shape of a human.

That is until I fell in love with one.

She was a star that burned as bright as any human, her metal heart filled with so much feeling that it might as well have been real. She was fearless, her bravery soaring high, so beautiful that it penetrated the sun. Her wit, giving me a smile even in the grimmest of situations. And her rashness, the way she ran into problems shouting 'Damn the consequences!'

The lengths she was willing to go for the ones she cared about. Cinder…

All of this, every single detail, had drowned me out as I'd watched her fall down that staircase, wearing a dishevelled dress and her hair falling in front of her face. Her metal foot laying feet away, the wires snaking out of it. _Cyborg, _I'd thought and a sliver of fear had embedded itself in my heart.

Then she'd looked up and saw me, a worried smile on her pretty face and for the first time ever, I felt what it was like to love. Cinder…

"Your Majesty?" A shy voice interrupted my thoughts and I opened my eyes to a petite blond girl who was regarding with meek respect. I tried to think of her name… What was it people on this ship called her? Criscilla… Cressie… Cress… I think that was right…

"Yes?" I struggled to keep my tone regal, imperial. Royal. Even on this spaceship of misfits, I was still a king. Yeah, a king who abandoned his country to go play boyfriend, a voice niggled in the back of my mind. Jeez...

"Will you be joining us for supper?"

"Um… I guess so."

"Good." Cress looked pleased, straightening out the hem of her dress as she gave me a quick bow before leaving the room. Supper… Everyone on the ship would be there: Cress, Thorne – the fugitive and pilot, Wolf- the Lunar hybrid Queen Levana had been working on and…

Cinder.

Even saying her name sent a sigh through me, radiating the happiness and love I had for her. I could sit there for hours just thinking of her face…

Some king you are! Daydreaming about a girl while your entire kingdom is a slave to Lunars! Ugh, when did this get so complicated…?

I got up and walked to the room where they all had supper. A table with crates set around it for chairs, serving those protein packs they had on board. Not as good as real food, but something nonetheless. I observed the table's occupants: Wolf sat alone, scraping at the table, an intense sadness etched on his face. Cinder had told me something about Scarlet Benoit having been kidnapped by Lunars. He obviously held her dear to him. Cress and Thorne were sat across from him, talking animatedly about something or other. And then…

She sat at the head of the table, inspecting her cyborg hand. With a click, a tranquilizer dart came from one of her fingers, and Cinder fiddled with it frowning. She didn't try to hide it from the others, not the way she'd hidden this part of herself from New Beijing. She felt comfortable here. She belonged.

Nervously, I sat at the other end of the table. Wolf barely looked up, now hacking at the protein pack with his canine teeth; Cress and Thorne's conversation stopped long enough for her to give me a small smile. No one really acknowledged me. Apart from her.

Cinder looked up from across the table and held my gaze, a grin emerging as she studied me. I grinned back and as about to say something before Wolf beat me to it.

"I need to go let off some steam." He announced, and everyone apart from me, solemnly nodded. He got up and stalked out of the room and I heard a loud slam echo throughout the ship.

"Scarlet," Cinder suddenly whispered, looking at her hands, "It's killing him, knowing she's in the hands of Lunars. He's trying to deal with it though. In his own way."

She looked up and smiled at me again, this one tense.

"Oh, ok." I said, then felt like kicking myself. Oh ok? That was the best I could do?

Her face was full of gratitude though, and if she could have, I swore she would've blushed.

"Do you mind having a word K… I mean, Your Majesty?" Cinder asked flustered, while Cress and Thorne were trying not to laugh out loud.

"No, not at all."

We left the room as discreetly as possible, Cress and Thorne's snickers following us.

"Your Highness? I…" Cinder stood there, the tranquilzer dart back in her finger.

"Kai… call me Kai." The words were out before I could stop them. Cinder bit her lip, wringing her hands together.

"Kai… look I'm sorry for kind of kidnapping you and all… but right now, this thing between you and me… I… I don't want it distracting me."

Her words hit me like a slap, "But…"

"Don't do this Kai!" she raised her voice dangerously, looking so fearless, untouchable. But then a hint of sadness ad regret brought out the human part of her, "I can't have this now! Everyone's relying on me to the perfect Princess Selene and…"

"You're perfect just the way you are. To me anyway."

She looked up and caught my eye, still biting her lip. Probably even harder than before.

Without thinking, I reached out and freed her lip from her teeth, "Don't do that. You'll hurt yourself." She flinched as I touched her, waiting tensely as I stroked her cheekbone lightly.

"Kai…" she began, catching my hand and holding it, keeping it from touching her again, "Not now…"

"Then when?" I wrenched my hand out of her grip.

"I don't know… Just please…"

"You kidnapped me Cinder! I shouldn't be waiting around for you!"

"Kai…"

I stormed out of the room, leaving Cinder alone. I heard her call to me to come back but I didn't turn around. Because I knew if I did, I wouldn't have the strength to walk out again.

Cyborgs. Thoughtless robot servants, roaming the streets of this world, taking over.

I wasn't sure about the world but there was definitely one taking over my heart.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I've been quite busy lately, publishing tonnes of LC fanfiction! If you haven't checked it out already I've written Scarlet x Wolf FF and Cress x Thorne FF. **

**Anyways! I've stayed from Kaider too long and the story is crying out for an update! Cinder and Kai have always been so cute together so I thought we would all take a trip down Memory Lane back to a ball… ;)**

**Shout outs to…**

**starr1095: Thanks for being the first reviewer of Kaider! I appreciate it!**

**Aurum19: Sometimes I worry about you girl… you're just as hyped on Lunar Chronicles as I am! Lol XD**

**PokespeBlazey: Thank you so much for favouriting the first Chapter of Kaider! *hugs through internet***

**Thanks, all support is appreciated! Stay strong!**

**~InfernoAlive**

Does this… um… **foot **fit you my fair Cinderella?

KPOV

If normal circumstances were still in order I might have actually enjoyed myself. Of course, once you fell in love, normal circumstances were something to be laughed at. Even at a ball, the finest of occasions, all in my own celebration… nothing appealed to me at all.

In the palace, the ballroom was crowded full of people, mingling and talking, a pleasant vibe moving in harmony with all the dancers that took to the floor like fish to water. I longed to be there, to feel at home with the laughter and festivities of the evening. But only with her.

She was more to me, much more, then the mechanic that had fixed my android. With her dirty clothes, messy hair and unsure smile, she was the face of a kingdom I would feel comfortable ruling over. She brought out the real me, the unroyal side that shied away for the sake of a reputation. She was the real deal, and the feeling of comfort I had around her was something special, prepped up and delivered by the hands of fate. I was sure of it.

But she hadn't come tonight. She'd declined my invitation, and I wasn't even sure how my heart was beating anymore. It felt so shattered, laying in my chest like a battered and bruised, dead thing. Echoing one name… Only one name…

Cinder. Cinder. Cinder.

Now I was debating about leaving. But what would that look like, how would that reflect back on my whole family? These people might've looked innocently, talking to me friendly enough, but at the end of the day, it was all about reputation. That was all that mattered.

_Not to her, _a voice echoed in the back of mind and I shut it up quick. What did that even matter? I could sit daydreaming about Cinder all day, letting the beautiful lies of fantasy take me under their spell. But reality would always come and drag me to its cold, dark depths, always reminding that she didn't come.

Oh Cinder, please…

I looked around the room helplessly, the crowds, the walls, the _staircase…_

I gulped, blinking several times to make sure what I was seeing wasn't some kind of mirage. But it wasn't… it was real… it was…

Cinder.

She was surveying the room worriedly, leaning to one side as if the effort of standing was hard for her. She looked different, now not in her dirty mechanic get-up, but a dress. She'd dressed up for the occasion, I thought with a smile. She'd dressed up for me.

I noticed she was biting her lip, her expression nervous. Perhaps she'd never been one of these things before?

She started descending the steps, hobbling slightly, her hand gripping the banister as she stumbled –

And fell.

I pushed through the crowds, a path slowly being created for me as people protested. I had to see if Cinder was alright. Had she hurt herself? Why had she fallen?

In a matter of seconds I had made it, standing in front of the staircase where Cinder lay at the bottom. I noticed almost instantly that people had gathered around like me, whispering in scared tones. What was there to whisper about?

Then I saw what they were all looking that. A foot, laying feet away from Cinder. And not a normal one: it was metal, with wires snaking out of it disgustingly. And it had come from Cinder.

Without a word, I reached down and picked it up, my fingers tracing over the rough plates of material. I shivered. This wasn't natural. It was… grotesque. Cyborg.

I saw staring at me over the foot, her eyes wide. I stared back at her.

Suddenly, normal circumstances seemed galaxies away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I know I've said this loads of time but the support is amazing on FF! It's such an amazing community and if you're debating about properly joining FF to write your own stories, don't even consider! I feel so wonderful inside when I read people's reviews and take in what they think of my writing. It really means something to me and there's always a sinking in my chest when I go to see if there's any new reviews and there's none there. You guys are awesome and love all of you! *hugs all around***

**This is another instalment of A King's Reign of Love, a version where Kai is preparing to be emperor and Cinder, not knowing him personally, is one of his servants. I had a weird dream like that last night and decided to put the LC characters in it! A bit dodgy I know but I thought it would be interesting to see if they were still attracted to each other! ;) Also, I made Cinder a non-cyborg, just to make things simpler! **

**Thank you, all support is appreciated and if you haven't already, check out the other stuff I've been writing lately. Stay strong!**

**~InfernoAlive**

The Maid and The Emperor

CPOV

I straightened out the hem of my apron with disgust – this was the uniform I was assigned to wear! Adri had been cruel, forcing me to sign up for this job because she accused me of 'not earning my keep'. Where were Pearl and Peony then, slaving away with laundry? Oh, that's right, going spending the money I earned buying goodness knows what!

I seethed through my teeth, throwing the laundry maid's cap on the floor and spitting on it repulsively. Whatever money this job got, it wasn't going to be worth walking around the palace in this humiliating outfit piled high with dirty clothes! I huffed, giving the laundry basket the evil eye as I stacked my clothes into it that came through the chute from upstairs. I nearly was drowned by the herd of suits, ties and jackets that came barrelling down with a vengeance. Stars, how many clothes did this emperor own? Probably had about seven royal blue suits that were exactly the same to wear each day of the week! And that was just suits… _blue suits… _probably a whole wardrobe of just suits in each shade of the rainbow… spoilt brat…

I sighed with relief as the clothes stopped coming down at last and threw them all in the basket. I remembered Celia, the Head of the Laundry Department, saying something about them needing to be folded, pressed and sprayed before being delivered and I smirked. Oh dear, what a travesty.

Then, with all my might, I pushed the basket through the double doors and worked my way around the palace, up to the emperor's private suites. I caught a few people laughing at me as subtly as they could, taking in my dishevelled uniform and missing cap, my hair probably sticking up with sweat. To be honest I didn't care right now, all I wanted was to finish my shift and go home.

I lugged the basket up the stairs, until I came to the door of the emperor's suite. Of course a guard was posted outside, peering at me suspiciously as I drew up next to him, "Excuse me, I need to get through."

The guard grunted and held out an ID chip scanner. I sighed, and held out my wrist, shuddering slightly as I felt the machine run its unseeing eyes over my skin. "Go through." The guard grunted and I passed, scowling.

I pushed the basket into the room once I opened the huge door, propping the pile of clothes against the wall as I shut the door behind me. As I turned around I tried to suppress a gasp of amazement as I looked around the grand room.

Well, he is the emperor, a voice inside my head grumbled and I shut it up with some annoyance. I'd never seen such… such gorgeous, carved furniture… such soft, luxurious carpet…

_The clothes. _Oh right, that was why I was in here, again. I picked up the clothes and headed over to a drawer I'd seen when I'd first come in.

Kneeling down, I opened it and started taking out the clothes. With a guilty start, I noticed how messy and sloppy they were and got to work folding them neatly before pressing down on the fabric, massaging with my fingers.

That's when I heard the door open and shouting voices erupt in the room. I turned around cautiously and caught the emperor's adviser, Torin, yelling at someone who was outside the room, "You left your own meeting, to do what? Laze around?"

The person he was yelling at strode into the suite then and my jaw dropped to the floor. _The emperor. _He was… stars above, I nearly fell apart with giddiness, something quite natural for me. What was with me? But I looked at the emperor again and the warm, soppy feeling returned. My heart stuttered. Then I realised. I was in the room with them when they thought they were alone. Crap.

The adviser was clenching his jaw as the emperor retorted, "I've had enough stress lately Torin! I doubt a meeting is going to matter!"

As Torin began to roll his eyes he caught sight of me, "Oh… hello?"

I pinked and my hands stopped folding and pressing. The emperor stopped talking and walked over to stand next to the adviser. Torin asked, "Who are you?"

"Oh, um…" I'd turned into a mumbling idiot and I blushed even harder, "I'm the… laundry maid. Celia-mei said that the emperor was in a meeting so… I figured…" I felt the sentence hanging in the air. After a while, I just bit my lip nervously.

"Too right you are, laundry maid." Torin advanced on the emperor, "You hear that? You're meant to be in a meeting right now! See, it messes up with everyone's schedule!" The emperor looked bored, and sneaked a grin at me through the adviser's ranting. I was rapidly turning into a tomato.

"Well, Torin. You are dismissed, I think." The emperor pointed to the door, "See yourself out." The adviser looked like he was going to start ranting all over again, but swallowed it down and left the room frowning.

"Well… someone's needs to look up the word relaxation and ponder over it." The emperor chuckled, then he turned to me. I froze, barely breathing, "What's your name?"

I gulped and started sweating, "My… my name?" Damn, now I'd turned into an echo!

He grinned, "I think so, considering you and I are the only ones in the room right now." Oh stars!

"Um… Cinder. Linh Cinder." He smiled, and I swear my throat closed up.

"Cinder. That's a nice name." He made it sound nice, that was for sure. In fact, his voice made everything sound nice, "My name's Kai."

I bit my lip down hard, stopping myself from saying anything stupid. He studied me thoughtfully then the two piles of clothes on the floor, "Am I disturbing you?"

I pinked, "No, of course Your Highness! I was just… it's nothing important…" He raised an eyebrow and I stopped babbling, looking down at the floor.

"Oh, well you can continue with your work. Just pretend I'm not here." Yeah, because that was going to be the easiest thing in the world!

I obeyed, going back to the routine of folding, pressing and then placing in the drawer. I felt eyes on me halfway through, and forced my head down even lower. Celia was going to start wondering where I was, seeing I was late turning in my apron and cap. I dared look up and saw the emperor lounging on his bed, gazing at me. I smiled before I could stop myself, and the room instantly felt heated, a vibe buzzing. The emperor's gaze turned to something darker and I felt extremely vulnerable as I hurried to get up, shutting the draw loudly.

I made it up to the door before the emperor beat me to it, standing in front of me and blocking the way out, "When can I see you again, Linh-mei?"

I stammered, "Well I have shifts tomorrow, working with the rest of maids and…"

"Not in the palace," he interrupted, his eyes brightening, "I mean, outside of work."

Was this really happening? I smiled shyly down at my feet, then felt a jolt as warm fingers tilted my chin up, "So?"

I gazed into his eyes and silently thanked Adri for this job after all.

"My schedule pretty free, tomorrow after my shift." He grinned back at me.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to all the awesome people that reviewed 'The Maid and the Emperor'! Someone asked me if I could continue with this idea and I've decided to do just that! **

**Shout outs to…**

**WyldClaw: Thank you so much! Your reviews really meant a lot!**

**Lovelunarchron: Do you love this different side of Kai? I thought if his boundaries were broken down a bit because she wasn't a cyborg, he would be like this! **

**Guest: Hope you enjoy this!**

**Cheesehead101: Thank you so much for giving me the idea for prolonging this one shot – I'd probably would've moved on to something else without you! Love ya!**

**Aurum19: IKR! Thank you so much for your continuous support! ;) x**

**I just want to stay, this fanfiction has no cyborgs, androids or any sort of futuristic creatures. Luna doesn't even exist, okay? It's just set in the future, where everyone has ID chips and everyone is normal…**

**Hope you guys enjoy it! Thanks, all support is appreciated and if you haven't already, check out the other stuff I've been writing lately! Stay strong!**

**~InfernoAlive**

CPOV

I walked out of the emperor's suite trembling with nerves and excitement. Did... whoa… did that seriously just happen? I ignored the guard as I trembled down the corridor, heading back to the laundry room to meet Celia, probably grinning like an idiot and shaking like a leaf.

As I passed a mirror in the hallway, I stopped and backtracked my steps and _stared._ My apron was rucked up, and my hair was sticking up so high it could've been a fire hazard. My cheeks were flushed a bright pink and my eyes were dancing, seemingly lit up by black magic. I looked… ravished. Like the kind of pathetic maiden on the front cover of a romance novel.

What would Celia and the other maids think when we all met up to hand in our uniforms? Ugly thoughts and horrid names crowded into my head… _slut… whore…_

Oh great, I thought, clenching my jaw as I stomped down the corridor and down the stairs to the laundry chute. My life was hell back home; if I lost this job because I wasn't doing what I was supposed to be doing, I would have nothing good in my life. _Good in my life…_

_"Cinder. That's a nice name." … "When can I see you again, Linh-mei?" … _Oh, the seductive bastard…

My thoughts instantly clouded over with the ideas of kisses, warm and sweet like his hand had been cupping my chin… him whispering in my ear… Without looking, I walked into a door and fell back on the floor, moaning as I felt a bump start to rise on my forehead. Well, that would be attractive this time tomorrow…

"Cinder, what on earth are you doing?" Crap! I scrambled up and met the fiery gaze of Celia who was looking at me as if I was the most repulsive thing on earth, "Where have you been anyway? Everyone else on the all-day shift as handed in their uniform and gone home!" Oh…

"Um…" I bit my lip and fisted my hands into my apron distractedly, "I had a small delay… I mean, I… I put the emperor's clothing in his drawer but his adviser… and, um… and the emperor kind of stumbled in on me and…"

Celia interrupted me, her face flushing with anger, "You disturbed the emperor!" That was unfair; in the way I'd explained, the emperor had disturbed me! _"Am I disturbing you?" _Damn it, this guy was stuck in my head!

"I… you said to me that he was in a meeting and…" I broke off as Celia continued to glare at me. No matter what I said, I was going to get blamed anyway. Ugh… I waited impatiently; I just wanted to hear whatever unfair punishment I was going to get and go.

"20 univs deducted from your total payment, I think," Celia ordered and I my jaw dropped. I barely earned that amount as it was! "One univ for each minute you wasted of _my _time!"

"But…"

"No buts, Linh-mei! Do you want to lose this job or not?" Celia stared me down and I bit my lip, swallowing down my rage as I nodded, "Good. Now, your uniform please? I'll sign you out and send the money to the Linh account." I grunted, knowing full well that that money would never be touched by my hands, little amount it was taken into mind and Adri's cruelty. I took off my apron and handed it to Celia, who sniffed as she took in its wrinkled state.

"Where's your cap, Cinder?" She sneered at my name, and I fought the urge to glare at her and say a few colourful things. Then I remembered how I'd thrown it on the floor in the laundry room. And spat on it.

"I don't know… I don't think I got given one…" I stuttered, staring at the floor to avoid her accusing gaze.

"Well, just… leave now and I expect you to turn up 4 hours earlier to pay off for your idling." She waited for my reaction but all I did was shrug and walk past, heading for the exit and my joyous way out.

**The next day (Time jump)**

I walked into the laundry room and of course, was alone. Even Celia wasn't even here. Probably forgot about my whole 'turn up earlier!' punishment. I groaned, I didn't even have to come here! It was so early in the morning that the night sky was still visible. I yawned: this was going to be a long day…

I hunted around for my uniform with my name on it in the usual pile, but it wasn't there. Celia had probably hidden it and would blame me for its disappearance. I huffed and thought rebelliously that I would enjoy these few hours without that dastardly outfit. Then I wondered what I was going to actually _do_ for these next few hours.

There was a whole palace to explore, I reminded myself with a smirk, and who knows… you might just bump into a certain someone…

Without another thought, I was hurtling up the stairs and opening the door, the grand corridor stretching out in front of me. No one was around to stare at me in my non-uniform – tight fitting jeans and a blue tank top – leaving the whole place blissfully comfortable. I walked down the hallways, gazing at the vast portraits of past kings and queens and fingering the elaborate frames. I hurried past rooms with open doors in case anyone was in there, but the whole palace seemed deserted.

Then I found the library. Books were one of my most favourite things, and when I read, I felt like I'd escaped into another world. It left me breathless.

I walked inside cautiously, and gazed at the high, sculpted ceilings, grand wallpaper and lush carpet, the endless book shelves… I felt like I'd teleported into Heaven!

I moved along the tiers of novels, brushing the spines with my fingertips as I skimmed the titles. I picked out a book about fairy tales that looked interesting and found an alcove where I could sit reading. I flipped through the pages with renewed wonder, stories taking over my mind as I read. It was about a girl who lived with her stepmother and stepsisters. They treated her horribly and she soon became a servant. Then her whole life changed and a fairy god mother came and granted her a wish. The girl was astounded as she was decked out in a beautiful dress and glass slippers, heading to the ball. She felt wonderful but nothing could compete with the beating of her heart as the prince said her name…

"Cinder?"

I yelped and dropped the book, startled as the blissful silence was shattered. Looking up, I met the most beautiful pair of eyes I'd ever seen. _Him._

The emperor stood leaning against the wall of the alcove, his expression a mixture of surprise and amusement. I sat frozen, the book long forgotten as I continued to stare. The emperor knelt down and picked up the book, assessing the title: _Cinderella._

"The title got your attention, I take it?" He smiled and my heart stopped for a split second. I had no words and his smile grew wider, clearly unruffled by the awkwardness, "You finding it good?"

I opened and closed my mouth before any words came out, "Yes… it's interesting… um… I like it." I blushed and the emperor grinned, placing it on a shelf.

"Why are you here?" There was no accusation in his voice, only curiosity.

"I… um… my shift was scheduled to be earlier but… my boss hasn't showed so I figured…" Oh great, he probably thought I'd been trying to get out of work. Which I had been, I guess, but not in the ungrateful sort of way.

"Okay. You like reading I take it?"

"Yes! I love it!" I answered easily enough, and to me it stopped feeling like an interview and more like a friendly conversation, "It's what keeps me from going insane at home sometimes." I smiled to myself and didn't see the emperor's reaction to what I'd said.

"Cinder… do you hold your liberties protectively?" I frowned; that was an odd question. Since when did my liberties come into this?

"Um… my liberties…?" I stopped, staring at the emperor as he moved further into the alcove. My heart picked up its pace as I pondered about this beautiful man and me in this enclosed space… oh…

"Cinder…" he whispered my name, coming so close that his breath tickled my ear, his lips moving against my skin. I melted, unable to say anything, as his kissed my earlobe. What kind of magic was working its powers on me right now?

I moaned as his arms came around my waist and as he said my name again before we kissed, I knew how Cinderella had felt when the prince had addressed her.

It was wonderful.


End file.
